Lemonade Drabbles
by LaVaLiCiOuS
Summary: A collection of drabbles/oneshots that are inspired by random ideas/single words. Could be angst, romance, anything. May be inspired by movie or book. Mainly Wenlivia, Rayella, and Marlie, unless I decide to try something different. Nearly everyone as friends.
1. Fanfiction & Intro

**A/N: Hey everyone! I will now explain how this story works:**

**You send me things such as: a one-word prompt, a phrase, a character, a pairing, a genre, a detailed plot. You think it, I do it!**

**Note: I don't do Scohini or Starlie. Sorry to disappoint any of you Scohini/Starlie lovers!**

* * *

Olivia froze, her eyes fixed on the screen of her cherry red laptop.

"What is it, Liv?" Charlie asked in a playful tone. Wen shot him a dirty look. Charlie grinned at the redhead pianist's nickname possessiveness.

"Gah-" Olivia gathered her thoughts, oblivious. "Er- I was browsing through this website, , after finishing possibly every Ron/Hermione fic in the Harry Potter section..."

"Yeeeeeees?" Stella prodded, pausing in her absent guitar strumming that alternated with her debate against Mo.

"Well, I was looking at all the movie archives and..."

Before she could finish, Wen leaned forward to catch a glimpse (not like he wanted to catch a whiff of her perfume or anything, psh, no way...).

"Oh my gosh... Does that say... _Lemonade Mouth_?" Wen gasped.

"Click on it, click on it, CLICK ON IT!" Stella cheered, locking her guitar away surprisingly carefully for someone that sounded so hyped up.

"Let's see... This one says, 'True Love: A Ray/Stella Fic... Summary: Ray is fighting his true feelings for Stella! Stella's concocting a plan to get him to do so until she's kidnapped! Will Ray be her knight in shining armor? Read to find out! First chapter in Ray POV! Includes major RAYELLA, minor Wenlivia and Marlie,'" Wen read, barely fighting snickers (he didn't make the connection for 'Wenlivia').

Charlie spoke up loudly, "Huh. Click on it. That sounds quite-"

"DON'T FINISH THAT!" Stella roared, tackling the wild-haired drummer rather violently to the ground.

"STELLA!" Mo screamed in anger and worry. She attempted to pull the girl off of her best guy friend, shouting all the while. This might end up worse than the Scott Cheating Incident Part 2, where the guy had ended up in the hospital for two months... Supposedly Charlie and Stella had stopped their best-friend bickering to join forces...

"Ouch!"

"Stella Yamada, you better stop that or these fingernails WILL be put to good use! I'm warning you!"

Unbeknownst to the three yelling, screaming, and/or wrestling, Wen and Olivia's innocent eyes were growing wider and wider with every word of the Ray/Stella fic. Olivia finally put her head in her hands. "I will NEVER be able to look Ray OR Stella in the eye again..."

"Agreed," Wen said with a shudder. "Let's agree to _never_ look at an M-rated Fanfic again."

They solemnly shook on it.


	2. Cursed

"Cursed"

she's cursed.

she's always been cursed.

she doesn't like it that way.

she closes her eyes.

and the _**{memories} **_ flood their way in.

.

_her father comes home that night with the smell of whiskey heavy in his breath. she's accustomed to this by now, and she flees on quiet feet **(****quietnotquietenough)** up the long __**(longsolongtoolong)**__ staircase to her bedroom to pretend to be asleep. _

**_(pretending. is that all she does anymore?)_**

_from where she lays she can hear him stumbling around, knocking a lamp over here and punching a vase. he falls to the ground and curses loudly._

_she can sense her mother's footsteps in the tiny house as she snatches the broom and sweeps up the pieces **(it won't do much good)**. her mother skillfully avoids her husband's feet as she gathers the shards in her hands. _

_olivia found blood on the carpet the following morning._

**_(redbloodredbloodred.)_**

**_(but she doesn't move or yelp or scream because you know what?)_**

.

she's cursed.


	3. Mirror

"Mirror"

There's a girl you know

She's ruthless

Terrible

Cruel

It's as if she has no feelings

You hate her.

Looking at her disgusts you

So your fist clenches

And you pull it back

And slam it right into her teeth

And the mirror shatters,

Slicing your knuckles

And sending blood rolling down your arm as you hold your hand up to the light

And wonder

About the monster

You have become.


	4. Waterfall

**Waterfall**

"Have you seen the view from here?"

"Ray-"

"Do you trust me?"

"Well, considering we were enemies for the last six months..."

"Just close your eyes."

"I'm going to regret this..."

"Open."

"..."

"I know. Breathtaking, right?"

"..."

"You're gonna catch flies, Yamada..."

"Shut up, Beech."


	5. Tacos

Tacos

Five tacos were sitting on the blue-stained counter of Charlie's house.

Wen knocked on the door with a certain rhythm that he and Charlie came up with one day when they were bored.

Charlie, recognizing the pattern, swung the door open with a grin, to find his best friend and Olivia standing there.

"Hey, guys," he said. "Come in, come in."

They did so.

They both grabbed tacos. Then they went into the den to wait for the rest of the band.

Three tacos were sitting on the blue-stained counter of Charlie's house.

Charlie would recognize that timid knock anywhere.

"Welcome to my house, Mohini," he said grandly, taking her hand and placing a mock kiss delicately upon it. Mo giggled and pulled away.

There was one less taco on the counter as Mo followed Charlie to Olivia and Wen, eyes bright.

Two tacos were sitting on the blue-stained counter of Charlie's house.

Charlie scooped one up for himself, rolling his eyes at Wen and Olivia's hesitant touches and blushes before returning to them.

Tommy, Charlie's older bro, ran down the stairs and spotted the last taco on the blue-stained counter.

"Phew! I haven't eaten in eight hours!" he grabbed it as he ran out the door.

No more tacos were sitting on the blue-stained counter of Charlie's house.

Charlie walked into his kitchen. "Oh. My. Gosh."

"What is it Charlie?" Mo asked in concern.

"There are no more tacos. Stella's gonna murder me! Wen, Olivia, we need a little help here…"

The following fifteen minutes were spent running around crazily (Charlie), holding a scared Olivia's hand (Wen), being comforted by a tall redhead (Olivia), or calling every taco place in Mesa to get more tacos (Mo).

"Hey guys," Stella said with a smile. It quickly turned into a frown. "Uh… why is Charlie all frazzled?"

"!" Charlie, Mo, and Wen all spoke at the same time.

"Could you say that slower?" Stella asked, exasperated.

"WE ATE ALL THE TACOS!"

"AUGH I'M SO SORRY STELLA!"

"SHUT UP I'M ON THE PHONE!"

"Um, guys…" Stella suppressed a snort. "You know I'm a vegetarian, right?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Seriously? And what's up with Olivia?"

"Um... I think Charlie freaked her out."

"But... but... tacos..."


	6. Angel

Angel

Stella had wings. They were large, soft-looking, feathery, a bright, glowing white.

She was standing in front of Raymond Beech with a slightly nervous fleeting expression on her face.

Raymond himself had not moved an inch- he was still in shock. Stella sighed and reached to tap him on the shoulder. He pulled back just as quickly.

"Don't touch me," he ordered bitterly.

She pulled back as if she'd been burned. Then, before Ray could take another breath, she was gone, flying up into the clouds.

He buried his head in his hands.

"An angel..." he muttered to himself. "She would have to be an angel, wouldn't she?" he knew now that this minuscule, _pathetic_ little crush he had on her was more than just that.

He, a monster, was in love with _an angel_. How sick was that?

A moan escaped the cage of hands cupping his face. He wanted to cry.

But demons couldn't cry, and neither could Ray Beech (although in this case they were the same thing).


	7. Lies

**Lies**

You Lie, the Band Perry.

Every Time You Lie, Demi Lovato.

White Liar, Miranda Lambert

I Just Can't Live a Lie, Carrie Underwood.

.

Lying.

.

The **truth**?

.

_She **can't** lie. _

.

You heard me right- the girl can barely tell a lie to save her life. Goodness knows how she was able to sneak around with Scott all that time.

Ah, **Scott**.

That loser...

.

Although Mo cannot lie, Scott is **exceptional** at it.

We all know that _now_.

And forgiveness...

...has never been so far away.

.

_She's So Gone_? Yeah. He took her with him... Now all that's left is her empty shell.

I have no doubt in Charlie. He'll treat the girl like gold and adore her and love her til the end of time. We all know it. We're all trying to focus on positives right now, but the fact that Scott had us all fooled...

Well, if it's hard for us to forgive others, it's even harder to forgive ourselves.


	8. Crazy

Your name is Scott Pickett.

You're not crazy. You're NOT.

You're just a little...

Frustrated.

You sneak another glance at your masterpiece.

Something resembling Charlie Delgado is lying in front of you.

Your gaze drops to your hands; they're covered with a dark maroon red liquid.

With a giant smile, you bring those hands to your face, slowly, to preserve the moment.

"You're mine, Mo," you whisper. "You always were, you always will be."

After Mo dumped you, you regretted ever being stupid enough to be caught with that girl in the club. You lay in your bed, alone, as you cried.

You quit the band and set off on your own, eventually becoming a failing solo artist. You were living in a cruddy little apartment with a grouchy old lady neighbor on one side and a divorcing couple with a screaming kid. You tried to stay upbeat, but most of your efforts to do anything were in vain.

The final straw was the newspaper article. The one that told you bassist and drummer of the famous band Lemonade Mouth were getting married.

Mo actually extended an invitation to you, even though you quit the band. You debated for two weeks before RSVP-ing.

The wedding was... interesting.

Okay, you despised it.

Mo was wearing this dress that made you want to die. But she didn't even glance at you. Her eyes were fixed permanently on Charlie.

The reception was torture.

Wen and Olivia were apparently still dancing around the subject of THEM, as they were in their own little world. Mr. and Mrs. Delgado greeted everyone and accepted all the congratulations.

Your heart had a little flicker of hope when you spotted Stella, by herself. Maybe someone else would understand how you were feeling.

Your wishes were crushed as a blonde guy asked her to dance. This apparently led to bickering, and you wanted no part of that.

As you watched everyone begin the first slow dance, you realized how alone you felt. And how happy Mo and Charlie looked.

You went home that night almost in a daze. It doesn't help that your record company fired you the next morning, something about an opening act for Lemonade Mouth.

Charlie's eyeballs are on the floor, his stomach sliced open with a rusty carving knife.

A bullet is buried in his head, and you notice that a few spurts of blood still leak from the wound once in a while.

His toenails have been peeled off, fingernails too. They are arranged in a pattern that reads "SCOTT".

You smile in satisfaction until you hear the front door creak open.

Someone is speaking on a phone... "Are you serious, Olivia? Stella and RAY?" Mo stops speaking and listens to her friend. "Yeah, no... Charlie was the one who wanted to... Maybe he knew. Yeah, you're right."

A peek tells you that just the thought of her husband puts a smile on her face. Your fist clenches. You wait for her to enter the living room and scream.


	9. Cold

Crystals of Snow

"Why didn't I die?" the girl whispered sorrowfully into her hands. "Why didn't I die?" she sat up and pitifully cast her puffy eyes toward the ceiling.

There was no one around. She was alone in her hospital room-no family, no friends, no roommate. She hated it here. The sheets smelled funny. It was full of people with smiles that had no genuine feeling and sugar-free lollipops that tasted like medicine. The nurses were either sullen or overtalkitive. No one truly gave a crap about how she was doing. It was one step up from hell... or one rung down on the ladder from the type of hell her life had already been.

Her eyes hardened into a freezing cold glare, all of her anger shooting invisible icicles towards the ceiling.

"Why didn't I die, dangit?" her voice was slightly louder this time, but not too loud; if this was bad, imagine a mental hospital. Her fists clenched, fingernails digging into still blackened palms. She ignored the pricks of sudden, chilling pain that made her brain scream. She hated... she hated... the doctor... she hated... the old lady who called the ER... she hated...she hated... her family... she hated... the nurses... she hated... the cops... she hated... her friends... she hated... she hated...

The glacier of hatred in her soul melted abruptly, and she sank back down amidst her pillows and blankets, sobbing violently into them. She hated herself most of all. "Why didn't I..." her voice cracked and she fought to control her loud weeping as she muttered the same four words over and over. "Why didn't I die..."

Exhausted, the girl drifted off into a fitful sleep, and she relived those same moments in her dreams. Her mouth opened several times, as if to cry out, but like the same way it had happened in real life, she didn't let out a scream, a shriek, or a yell.

For that brief moment two days ago, she had believed she was gonna die.

For the first time in months, she had cracked a smile.

It was the first time that anyone had been hit by a car on that particular street.

It was the first time she had attempted suicide.


	10. Instrumental

**A/N: Request by ****CaitlynGeller4Ever****, an amazing reviewer! This one's for you, girl (unless you hate it. Then I'll just have to try again)!**

* * *

Stella notices a lot. Well, a lot that people don't think she would notice.

Same as everyone, she's got her own strengths. Yeah, strengths, even though she often thinks her weaknesses overshadow them.

But she can always tell when a guitar string is just a little off key, or a high note needs its pitch adjusted the tiniest bit.

Her friends and teachers admire this trait and give her high praise for it as she smiles in slight embarrassment. Stella likes to think that she's got this amazing talent, that she has her groove going and it's not gonna stop anytime soon, that this is something to be proud of.

Gotten it yet? She always points out what's _wrong._

She feels awful sometimes because she can see the flaws, the flaws, the flaws, _the flaws_. She sucks at handing out compliments, and she's even worse at accepting them.

She remembers first picking up her guitar. She remembers her brothers laughing at her failure attempts to pluck out the melody. Sure, they were only five, but still. Stella practices till her fingers bleed, til every note is _perfect- woefully perfect._ The satisfaction she feels flooding her stomach is amazing. She's sure she's found her true calling.

Her mother ignores the guitar until she can't stand the loud riffs and yells at her to stop that and triple-check her homework.

Maybe that's another reason she loves the instrument so much- she can be loud and noisy because its music and she can _be heard._

The sheet music becomes more heavy-metal and less pretty and Stella wants to scream along with it because she's shaking the rafters and it feels good-like she's making a difference. Like she's rebelling.

The lyrics grow more violent and the machine-gunning of the electric guitar shrieks ever-higher as Stella tests her limits. Finally she plays the hardest, loudest, hard-core-est song perfectly, and she knows what it's like to touch perfection. She thinks she may be able to grasp the concept of happiness.

The nitpicking she forces on herself ceases soon after. Stella's on Cloud Nine for the next two weeks. She crashes back to earth when The Move is announced.

Stella plays her guitar in the common room, the angriest songs. Maybe her parents will pick up on the message and move them back. Maybe they'll listen to her opinion. Maybe she'll have a say in what happens to her.

That desperate hope she clings to. She wants to be in control of her life. As she is denied that request time after time, any wishes she has fizzle away.

One day she looks in the mirror and decides she's tired of this stupidity. If no one will take the time to interpret the sounds she milks from her guitar, she'll have to use her voice instead.

So she finally sorts out her priorities. And in the end, she realizes that _being heard_ can mean many things-it's not something one can pin down.

Now, as she throws back her head and hits the notes that blend perfectly with Olivia's, she feels free. Free in her music, free in her life. She can taste perfection, and it's not that uncommon of a flavor anymore.


	11. Kung Fu

The credits began to roll, and that's when all heck broke loose.

"Hee-yaw!"

"Hiiiiiiiiiyyyyyyy!"

"Waaaaaaaaa!"

"AAAAAIIIEEE!"

"AAAAAAAUUUGH!"

The door swung open.

"Hey, band practice is-" Stella froze, along with all of the people in the room, and Olivia bumped into her from behind. "What. The. Heck. Is. Going. ON?"

"Uh..." Wen tried, "We were... watching... Kung Fu Panda?"

Charlie made a choking, hacking noise that sounded like a laugh. You couldn't really blame him, after all, he was lying on the floor with Mo on top of him. She was in mid Kung-fu mood when they walked in, which COMPLETELY explained the wild hair and why there was something sparkly all over Charlie's face.

Wen had his foot sunk pretty deep into the couch, like he'd been trying to kick it, and had collapsed next to Charlie with his foot stuck.

Charlie tried to stand and Mo awkwardly rolled off of him.

"Oh. My. Gosh." he said suddenly. "There's five of us. We can be the Furious Five!" with those last two words he struck a pose and nearly nailed Wen in the eye.

"Yeah," Mo said, "But then one of the girls is gonna have to be a guy."

"Whatever." Stella rolled her eyes. "Now we-"

"Okay," Wen was already planning out the team. "Let's see... Olivia should be Viper-she's the girliest." The lead singer kinda shrunk back into the corner-she was a little scared by what was going on.

"And you can be Crane 'cause you're so tall and lanky!" Mo cut in.

"Yeah, and you're Tigress!" Charlie exclaimed, directing this at Mo. She blinked, then narrowed her eyes in concentration.

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie... what about you?"

"Ooh! I know! Po! He should TOTALLY be Po!" Wen roared.

"Po? Why Po?" Charlie asked.

"Po is totally awesome! Plus Tigress is his love interest!" was Wen's response. Both Charlie and Stella moaned at this. Mo just blushed. "So that means Stella is..."

"MONKEY!" yelled Mo and Wen as Charlie screamed,

"MANTIS!"

This led to an argument about whether Stella was a better Monkey or Mantis, which therefore wasted three hours of band practice... which paved the way to ANOTHER one and a half hours concerning the poses they would all have when they screamed "unite" or something.

Well, Stella wasn't really included in the 'they'. She went to her bedroom to beat her head against the wall.

**A/N: Well it's like 12:30 am and I feel pretty riled up because I've been reading Kung Fu Panda fics... This might kinda count for Tratie-Zutara-and-Perlia-Fan's request for Marlie... if you squint... I can probably do better... **

**I need sleep. :P**

**Review?**


	12. Misunderstandings

"Good morning!" Mo chirped as she plunked down in the seat next to Olivia. It was a Thursday morning over the summer, and the band was meeting up for breakfast. Mo was the actually the last one to arrive.

"Good morning!" Charlie replied automatically, although he looked slightly bleary-eyed. He took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Augh," Olivia groaned, not even greeting the Indian girl. "I am so tired..." she looked ready to fall asleep.

Wen shot the girl a concerned look as Stella inquired, "You still up for performing today at Burger Mountain?"

"Yeah, yeah," you could tell the blonde was stifling a yawn. "I just need to... wake up a bit."  
"Try the orange juice," Charlie instructed. "It's so sour it makes your face scrunch up. And you need it, I mean, we _were_ up pretty late last night."

...

Stella dropped her glass of orange juice. No one even blinked.

The whole table was silent, although any outsider who had not heard the conversation would have been able to tell something was up by the way everyone was positioned:

Wen had a frozen look of shock on his face. Mo's expression was a mix of disbelief and hurt. Stella was glancing from the shattered glass on the floor to Olivia to Charlie, who seemed to have realized the implications of what he had said.

"What? No, no. No no no no no! It's not what you think!" he cried desperately. "I mean, we didn't..." he turned even redder.  
"It's true," Olivia said quietly. "that we didn't," she added hastily as she caught Wen's betrayed expression. "See, he came over-"

"-to ask a question," Charlie put in.  
"-and then we climbed on the roof-"  
"-and we counted the stars-"  
"-and I showed him all the constellations-" Olivia continued, speaking faster and faster.  
"-and we talked about life-"  
"-and then we realized it was like two in the morning-"  
"-so I let him sleep on my couch." Olivia finished. She and Charlie were both a little out of breath.

Stella was an odd color. Then she started snorting. Charlie and Olivia awkwardly joined in. Mo let out her breath. Wen aimed a glare at Charlie.

"So... what question was it?" Mo asked. The laughter immediately stopped.

Charlie and Olivia were steadily reddening again.

"I'll... tell you later," Charlie informed her.

"Oh no, Charles Delgado, you will tell me right now," Mo managed through gritted teeth. Charlie seemed to shrink under her gaze, and that combined with Wen's icy stare was too much. He muttered something under his breath. "What was that?"

"I was giving him advice!" Olivia informed them. She leaned forward, rubbing her eyes. "Advice on... you, Mo."

Mo blushed. "Huh?" Wen appeared to be stumped. Then he went over everything in his head again, and the next thing out of his mouth was "..._Oh_."

**A/N: Sorry if you hated that. I personally thought it was funny. **

**CaitlynGeller4Ever: Your request needs a bit more editing... And I'm gonna have my sis read it over to make sure it's good. **

**And on a total side note, has anyone ever thought about Olivia/Charlie as a pairing? Yeah, it's weird cuz normally I love specific pairings and stick with them but... Well, what do you think?**


	13. Girls' Day Out

**A/N: To CaitlynGeller4Ever, I hope you like!**

Girls' Day Out

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into this, Mohini," complained Stella as she poked her shiny black fingernails.

"Oh, come on." the Indian girl rolled her eyes and took a sip of her water. "It wasn't that bad. Right, Olivia?"

"So sorry," the blonde shook her head. "It looked like they had torture instruments or something!" she shuddered, swirling her root beer float with a pink straw absentmindedly as she looked off into the distance.

Mo and Stella exchanged a meaningful glance, well, more so Mo giving Stella a meaningful glance and Stella raising her eyebrows. Mo nudged Stella with her elbow. When the guitarist failed to comply, she shook her head and took matters into her own hands.

"So, uh, Olivia! What are you thinking about on this fine day?"

Olivia looked up and said, "Wen… Uh, when are we going to go to that new art museum that just opened up, huh?" she closed her mouth with an audible click. Mo smiled.

"Mrs. Charlie Delgado?" the cashier called from the counter up front. Mo jumped, turning red at the boy's name.

"What did that guy just say?"

"Go on, Mo. It's your baked potato up there," Stella casually informed her brunette friend.

Mo, spluttering and blushing, slowly made her way to the front.

"Are you Mrs. Charlie Delgado?"

"Erm… yes? Apparently?" Mo trudged back to the table, Stella looking like she was about to have a conniption, courtesy of laughing. "Stella. That. Was. Not. FUNNY!" Even Olivia was snickering by now. Suddenly Stella froze.

"Stella! Hey Stella! Yoo hoo!" Mo tried to wake her up. "What are you looking at?"

Olivia glanced into the direction Stella was looking. That was when she saw… "Ray?" she whispered urgently. "You like Ray?" And just like that, Stella snapped out of it.

"No, of course not," she insisted. "Let's talk about… Wen."

"He's got nice eyes," Mo commented, although she was giving Stella a look that said we are not letting this go. "What do you think, Olivia?"

"Nice? His eyes are gorgeous…"

Suddenly a song started playing from somewhere that sounded mysteriously like 'Girlfriend.' For a second all three of them just listened to the lyrics: 'Hey, hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend. No way, no way, I think you need a new one. Hey, hey, you, you, I could be your girlfriend…'

"Oops! My phone!" Extremely red in the face, Mo snatched her phone and answered. "Hi Charlie."

"Mo!" Stella hissed. "It's a girls' day out, remember?" When Mo didn't reply, she reached over and snatched the phone. "Sorry, Charles, but Mohini is gonna have to call you back. Bye."

"Stella!" Mo growled.

"Yes?"

"Ugh!"

"Just admit you've got a thing for Charlie! It's nothing to be embarrassed about! You guys could be the dream couple with three kids named Joe, Steve and Lucy!"

"Joe, Steve and Lucy? Puh-lease! I have never heard such unoriginal names! And I'll admit it when you admit you have a little puppy-dog crush on Ray!"

"Okay… so maybe I don't… exactly… hate Ray as much as I could…"

"So maybe I am in love with Charlie!"

Stella smirked. "Knew it!" Mo immediately began to protest.

"GAH! YOU GUYS ARE SO FRUSTRATING!" Olivia yelled in irritation. "NEXT TIME, LET'S JUST INVITE THE WHOLE WORLD, FOR ALL THE GOOD A GIRLS' DAY OUT DOES!"

That shut Mo and Stella up as they stared at the normally quiet blonde.

"Ugh... let's just get to our yoga appointment."  
"Wait. Yoga appointment?" Stella demanded as she followed.

Mo rolled her eyes as she deposited all of their trash in the garbage can. "One day, Stella, one day..."


	14. Lemonade Mouth at a Glance

The shortened, condensed version of Lemonade Mouth!

Wen: My teacher is stupid!

Olivia: I wanna read!

Mo: I care more about my boyfriend than education!

Stella: I'm new so let's all rebel!

Charlie: I have terrible aim with a soccer ball!

Brenigan: Detention!

(time lapse)

Mo, Charlie, Stella, Wen: OMG stuff we can make noise with!

Olivia: Turn up da music dudes!

Mrs Reznick: Magical band connection-ness!

Everyone: Um, no.

(time lapse)

Everyone but Charlie: Let's do it!

Charlie: Um... uh... Er... Coins decide the fate!

Everyone: Yay! It's band time!

Mo and Scott: *break up*

Jules: Hi Moro- I mean, Olivia.

Ray: Loser Mouth!

Stella: Hi. *spits lemonade*

Ray: Waaaaah! They were threatening me! Boo hoo! I am a loser who will not own up to his mistakes!

Brenigan: DETENTION to everyone but the loser who will not own up to his mistakes and his groupies because they are athletically gifted!

Everyone but Olivia: Yay it's opening night!

Olivia: Throwing up in here!

Wen: It's okay! Drink this yellow beverage from a can!

Olivia: I'm okay! To the stage!

Ray: Ha ha! You don't have costumes! And for a minute let's just ignore the fact that I don't have one either!

Stella: Don't put up with this! This school is evil! Look at my shirt the evil school rejects! Be heard!

Brenigan: Lemonade Mouth is over!

(time lapse)

Stella: Brenigan lied. We're still together! Ha ha let's play at a pizza place!

Mo: I can suddenly sing... La dee da, I'm so over Scott, la dee da...

Scott: *flees*

(time lapse)

Olivia: My cat died.

Wen: Clouds! Look!

Olivia and Mo: More than a band!

Stella Wen and Charlie: I randomly can sing, so we're more than a band!

(time lapse)

Mo: *coughs*

Olivia: *sings*

Ray: You guys suck!

Everyone: *is banned*

Charlie: I love you Mo.

Mo: Charlie I hate you and now I'm sick.

Wen: Ow my eye!

Charlie: *breaks fingers*

Olivia: cough... gasp... choke... rasp...

Stella: For the Lemonade Machine! Attaaaaack!

Everyone: Arrested!

Everyone: We're in a holding cell. *random magical band moment* Hugs!

(time lapse)

Ray: I'm a total idiot singing a dumb song! YAY!

Scott: I'm a total idiot playing guitar riffs for a dumb song! YAY!

Stella: I's gonna pound you!

Lemonade Mouth: *does not pound them*

Girl: Trying hard to fight these tears...

Scott: I randomly decided I'm gonna be good again! Goodbye, my best friend whom I have known for years and will now choose my ex-girlfriend and her 'package deal' over!

Everyone: *cries and/or laughs*

Olivia and Wen: *there's a kitten. They do not kiss. 'Nuff said.*

Scott and Mo: *get back together. They don't kiss either.*

Charlie: *finds some random chick to hang out with. I highly doubt they kiss.*

Wen's dad: *gets married*

Mel: Here's a new auditorium for ya'lls.

Brenigan: *drinks lemonade*

(time lapse)

Olivia: Breakthrough!

Mo: Breakthrough!

Stella: Breakthrough!

Audience: *cheers*

The End!

**(I don't want to offend anyone, so if I offended you... Sorry. This is written purely out of boredom.)**


	15. Of Boys & Bungalows

Stella sits in the dark, all alone. Her shoulders are back, as if she's got someone to impress. But a quick glance in the mirror tells her otherwise.

...Ray's far away, probably meeting college girls and partying and not missing Stella at all.

Stella winces at the thought of their vicious breakup, shrouded with insults and pride.

...Charlie is with Mo on their honeymoon to see the Seven Wonders. Neither of them have even attempted to contact Stella.

The brunette sighs into her hands. Her phone is worthless, now, for all the good it does her.

...Scott is a solo guitarist, on his second world tour. Amidst all the screaming women, he's more than likely forgotten the rickety friendship he had with Stella before he and Mo split for good.

Stella wonders if they could still be friends, after all these years, but quickly crushes that thought. After all, their band's history was a delicate thing...

...Wen is probably sitting in his gazebo in sunny Hawaii, clutching Olivia's hand and imagining them living out his dream of growing old together.

Stella shoves her face in her pillow and wants to scream in frustration. She just has no luck with guys, does she? Even if she never really loved some of them, being with any of them would be better than this loneliness.

She slowly crawls under the blankets, one of which is a quilt made by Olivia. She's sure she'll be better in the morning.

At least, she normally is.


	16. Not Like The Movies

**for Tratie-Zutara-and-Perlia-Fan! I hope you like, I've never attempted to write them before...**

It's not really _supposed_ to work.

After all, she's a kitten, and he's a jaguar. They're not really polar opposites (isn't there always something everywhere about how 'opposites attract'?) but they're not exactly the same either. So where do they stand in comparison to one another?

Olivia watches TV aimlessly, trying to avoid tears after her and Ray's first fight. He'd always treated her with gentleness, a gentleness she loved.

She snatches the remote almost violently and begins to look through the channels to see if there's anything worthwhile on.

_Flip_. _iCarly_... Reruns of the Sam/Freddie get together. A glance at the episodes to come proves that their infamous breakup episode will follow soon.

_Flip_. A news channel talking about the never pretty love affairs of celebrities.

_Flip_. _Titanic_.

_Flip_. _Victorious_... Beck and Jade falling apart in the episode 'The Worst Couple' will begin shortly.

_Flip_. a new episode of the melodrama _Left at the Altar._

_Flip_. CMT country music videos... A rather violent song about breaking up.

_Flip_. _Jeopardy_. Better.

Olivia sits, half-watching the show. She's lost in her thoughts.

They'll get through this, she's pretty sure. It's not like they're some TV couple, doomed from the start to either be overly sappy or always fighting. They were just... Ray and Olivia. And Ray and Olivia were stronger than this.

Who cares if the whole world doesn't think they'll work? It's not the world's business!

But the things he said...

She sighs through her nose. He just needs to cool off. She'll talk to him tomorrow.

That decided, she steps out onto the porch to stare at the night sky. Her dreamy eyelids close and she can feel bliss. Her blue eyes are revealed as she slowly slides them open before drowsily walking up the steps to her bedroom. The last thing she sees in her mind before she falls asleep is his face, adorned with that gentle smile he saves only for her.

**A/N: Not my usual thing, I know, but it's probably good for me to branch out. Tell me- did I do a good job? And also, I've got almost 50 reviews... I could give the 50th reviewer a prize of some sort, but I'm not sure. Any ideas?**


	17. Rainbow

"Oh yeah?!" retorted Stella Yamada, "Well, I'm never EVER going on another so called 'date' with you and your cocky attitude! I've had ENOUGH with you! Always bossing me around, who do you think you are, my MOTHER?!"

Ray Beech turned on his heel and walked out the double doors of The Burger and Milkshake Restaurant, stomping all the way.

It was a rainy afternoon and Stella and Ray had been on a 'date'.

Stella, still fuming, was standing there in the middle of the burger restaurant, aware that all eyes in the little place were on her. "AUGHHHHHH!" she yelled and stormed out, going in the opposite direction that RAY BEECH went. Little kids Stella passed looked at her expression and quickly stepped out of her path.

In the distance there was a rainbow, smiling down at her. She silently cursed rainbows and slopped through the puddles.


	18. Holiday

**A/N: A Wenlivia for lemonademouthforever21. Hope you like!**

It was cold, there was a fire crackling merrily to keep us all warm, and Wen was missing. We were all spending Christmas Eve together, and some of us (Stella and Charlie) decided we were tired of waiting for presents.

This was my first Winter Break with the band. The holiday seemed a lot brighter with them around. Before, it had always been just Gran and I... "Here ya go!" Stella plunked down a huge box in front of me. I looked up, surprised.

"Stella- you didn't have to-"

"Oh, please, Olivia." she was beginning to look ticked. "With all the money we've made, I can buy tons of stuff!"

"True dat," Mo cut in, delicately placing a bright pink package on top of Stella's huge box. I laughed as Charlie tromped into the living room, presents stacked so sloppily he couldn't see. He promptly smacked into his brother, Tommy, who shoved him back.

"Save the presents!" Stella roared, leading Mo in a charge to protect the gifts from the brothers' annual Christmas fistfight. I rolled my eyes, to soon be distracted by another guy struggling with boxes through the front window.

"Wen!" I breathed, quickly running out the door into the chill air. I grabbed some of the packages and led him inside.

"Hi," he grinned. "Sorry I was late, but I had some last minute shopping to do." I smiled, and as we entered the house he was greeted by the sight of Charlie's bloody nose and Tommy holding a package of frozen peas against his head. They were both grinning. "Hey, guys," Wen said sheepishly. He held his arms a little higher. "I'm here!" Wen quickly distributed the presents, and soon we were all tearing away. Paper was raining down like... well... rain.

I got a life size cutout of us from Charlie, a huge box of Mel's Lemonade from Stella ("to tide you over til school starts," she said), an adorable purse from Mo, and...

I'd saved Wen's present for last. Taking a deep breath, I shot a smile at him and opened it carefully. Inside was... a bottle of shampoo.

I blinked, then looked over at Wen. He fidgeted a little. "Ooh, Olivia! What did Wen get you?" Mo asked excitedly, tearing across the room. She reached for the box and eagerly glanced in. Her bright expression soon turned into a frown. She cast a wary look Wen's way. He sort of shrunk down.

Mo twisted the ring on her finger and stood a little taller. "Is that a reference Wen?" she asked, pointing to the box.

"Huh? A reference to what?" he asked, confused. The room had grown conveniently quiet.

"Are you telling Olivia that she needs to wash her hair?" my heart raced. Oh my gosh. What if I did need to wash my hair? I quickly tugged a strand of it.

"Wash her-? No! Her hair's perfect!" silence. Charlie and Mo were exchanging an 'Oooooooooooh' face and Stella was just glancing around with her eyebrows raised. Tommy stood there awkwardly, eyes shooting from me to Wen.

"I-I mean... Uh... Dang it. Okay, look Livvy," he met my eyes. "I was so worried about what to get you that I just kept putting it off... And off... And before I knew it it was too late." he looked like a lost puppy. "I'm sorry."

I was quiet for a moment. Then I said, "You think my hair is perfect?"

He looked a little confused, but still sincere as he said, "...yes?"

"Then that makes up for it." I smiled softly at him. He smiled back. "Yeah..."

In some other world, I heard Stella say something along the lines of, "Dangit, Tommy, what made you choose to not hang mistletoe?"


	19. Blue Shadows

She stays awake half the night every night, thinking. Thinking about her mom and her dad. She cries herself to sleep half the time, watching blue shadows dancing on her ceiling.

"What a tragedy," everyone had said after her mom had died. It was. Olivia had never been the same since that night. Her dad hadn't either. He drank more and more, and she started staying in her room alone more and more. After time, she became scared of her dad. Nobody would come over. Then one night she was in her room and she heard her dad come in the house, and hearing a sound like breaking glass. The police sirens wailed. She stayed still, curling herself into a ball. Her gran came into her room and gently told her to pack her bags and come with her.

That's what she thinks about every night, crying herself to sleep. Watching the blue shadows…


	20. Envious

**A/N: Wow! Almost seventy reviews! :D you guys are too nice! Thanks so much!**

**Thanks to Tratie-Zutara-and-Perlia fan for the idea for this chapter!**

You can't deny it. You know that it's a part of him and it makes beautiful music. You're well aware of the fact that it is pretty much what brought you guys together.

But... Dang it.

You're trying not to laugh at the stupidity of it all. You're jealous of a keyboard. A piano! An inanimate object that can do nothing on its own but gather dust!

Wen's gone to use the bathroom, and you find yourself staring at it, with its snow white keys and tuxedo black ones. You run your hands over it- the same place his hands run over it so easily, with elegance and grace.

"I can see why he likes you," you mutter as you get fingerprints all over the pearly sheen. "He's been practiced in the art of you for years." you begin to fiddle absentmindedly with the volume adjustment of the keyboard. "Wen and Keyboard Gifford, the perfect dream couple. No room for poor Olivia." Turning it on, you begin to press random keys you remember from a distant past, picking out the melody of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.' "He just can't keep his hands off you, can he?"

You hear a snicker behind you, and spin around. It's him. He's back. "Er- how much of that did you hear?" you quickly ask.

"Enough to know that you need piano lessons," he smirks. You take a breath- phew!- and watch him watching his instrument with a tiny sigh. There's a twinkle in his eye that wasn't there before...

And then suddenly you're spun around. His arms encircle you, hands on top of yours as they rest in the Middle C position. You're leaning slightly back (or maybe he's leaning forward), your head nearly resting on his chest. "Better?" he mumbles into your ear. You can feel his warmth. Goosebumps grow on your neck but you just gulp and nod against him.

He begins an attempt to play the opening measures to 'Somebody' but neither of you can really concentrate and the sound is unsteady and not quite right.

Finally, after many failed notes, Wen spins you back around to meet his eyes. You're so close you could count his freckles. On impulse, you reach up and brush a strand of hair out of his face, placing your left hand on his shoulder as you do so. He smiles and grabs your hand in one of his as it lowers, the other snaking around to turn off the keyboard, consequentially finding its way to the small of your back.

"You know, Liv," he whispers, "you could've just asked."

You blush and shoot back, "Have you ever known me to be the bold type?"

"Hey," he brings his hand (and yours too) to his chest, as if hurt. "I thought we were whispering." you shoot him a look. "-aaaand I guess I was kinda hoping you would take a risk, mainly because normally I don't have the courage to do this-" he leans forward quickly, to your surprise and joy.

The kiss is chaste and lasts just long enough to be perfect.

You sure hope that keyboard is the jealous type.


	21. Unattainable

"...something real, something to prove I was here, something that can assure me I'm not just a shadow drifting around leeching off of other peoples' lives..." her gaze fell to the box. "And now you've found it."

He raised the box to eye level to examine it, aware of the heavy silence growing between them. Finally he lowered it and looked into her eyes, which, he now realized, were overfull. "You thought this would replace you?" his voice cracked on the word 'this,' but he pressed forward. "You thought the contents of this box told the story of your life?" he was shaking. "You decided to go KILL yourself and you give me a ruddy _box_?"

"No," she said coldly, pulling herself together. "I did NOT give it to _you_." she glanced over toward the framed photograph sitting on her desk. It was faded, rumpled on the edges. "I gave it to _her_."

"You... You... Your so-called _best friend_ has been gone for ten years! Ten years!" he emphasized, plodding forward despite her steely attitude. "Do you remember how much pain she caused you? How many nights you cried yourself to sleep?" He knew because he had been there, in the next room, listening to her sobs and trying to pluck up the courage to comfort her. "And now... now you're just gonna leave ME like that?"

She shivered. "I... I..." she appeared to be looking for an escape route. "I didn't think you cared," she finally whispered.

"CARED?" he roared. "You didn't think I _cared_?" He jumped to his feet at this point; the intricately decorated box slipped from his hands to land with a dull thud on the floor.

Her hand was over her mouth, helping to choke down sobs. She was swaying back and forth in distress, eyes latched onto what was supposed to be her explanation.

"I've wasted away half my life waiting for you!" he continued, still yelling. "I've protected you, stood up for you, always been by your side! And then... And then... He left you in the streets! I found you on my doorstep with a bag in your hand and a babe in your belly!" At the mention of the baby, her emotional control finally spiraled out of whack. She broke down completely, face in her hands, leaning against the wall for support as she slumped to the ground. "So... So don't go around claiming that I don't care!" He finished his rant rather lamely, having caught sight of the girl crying.

They both stood there for an instant, wails of grief and shame wracking her whole body, his blood burning with rage and worry as he stood rigid.

Life would always be complicated for them, wouldn't it? Side-stepping the casual yet obvious comments and comforting and hurting each other all at once as they played this game that had become increasingly dangerous. Was it for the rush, perhaps? The feeling of being equals on opposing teams that were united now and then? Maybe it was for the rare sweet moments that never seemed to last. Maybe they were both so deep in drama and lies and hatred and lies that turned out to be true and truths that ended up viewed as lies that it was easier to just keep going. Maybe they were both insane. Maybe they were never meant to be.

Then he took a deep breath. He snatched the box off the floor and clutched it to his chest. "Don't you _ever _do this again. Do you hear me? _Ever._" He only dropped his fiery gaze when she nodded numbly. As he exited, he shot a glare at the photo of the smiling girl resting on the desk, then another at the crying woman in the corner. Shaking his head, he left her alone to her thoughts.


	22. Grape Juice

Ray was drinking grape juice when suddenly that nerdette with brown hair came up and slapped him in the face.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?!" Ray asked, rubbing his cheek. He shot a glare at the ner- er, Mo.

"Lemonade is the only beverage worthy of our presence!" Yamada screamed, writhing like a madwoman. Ray just blinked.

"Hey bro!" That weirdo drummer guy with weird hair exclaimed. Ray did a double take.

"Dude, what the heck are you wearing?" Ray exclaimed.

"What, this?" the guy exclaimed. The guy- what was his name? Charlie?-looked down at the chicken suit. "You're wearing one, too! We match! Yay!" Charlie stood up and began to do a cheer routine with Jules. Ray watched openmouthed. This is the guy who failed soccer tryouts, and now he was doing the splits...?

Scott ran in and yelled, "DO THE CHEATER DANCE! DO THE CHEATER, DO THE CHEATER!" and started to do terrifying dance moves Ray was sure he would never un-see.

Principal Brenigan appeared in a pink tutu and yelled, "LALALA! IM A BUZZING BEE! BZZZ, BZZZZ!

"What-the heck-is going-on?!" Ray exclaimed.

Olivia showed up, yelling, totally unlike herself. She was wearing red overalls with polka dots on them, with a pink and green striped shirt underneath.

"I NEED TO GO TO SHOPKO!" announced Wen, wearing an evil grin on his face that said nothing good would come of this shopping trip.

Meanwhile…"LEMONADE! NOT GRAPE JUICE! LEMONADE! SUPPORT THE LEMONS!" THAT was Stella.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Ray screamed.

"Shopko is happening, that's what," Olivia said in a low, clipped voice. "Now let's go." She touched Ray's sleeve and suddenly there was a flash of green light, and Olivia was gone and he was floating.

"Follow the lemons," a voice seemed to whisper. "LEMONS!" a picture grew in front of his eyes. Ray froze. Is that... No. It couldn't be...

The figure got closer and closer and then-

Ray bolted awake. "Whoa," he muttered. "That was WEIRD. That's the last time I'M drinking grape juice before bed. Whew!"


	23. S i n k i n g

She wasn't really _falling_ in love.

It was more like she was sinking.

You know how if you struggle in quicksand it pulls you under faster? Yeah, it was kinda like that.

She wrestled it and she fought it, but every time he grinned her knees would sort of go weak and her heart would begin to pump. She began to hang out at Charlie's house more often just to see HIM.

It was forbidden, and crazy, but despite the four-year age difference they were pretty close.

Tommy Delgado was pretty darn serious most of the time, but when he relaxed, he was tons of fun. He had the hottest laugh ever and a sort of dry sense of humor that made her snicker every time. She tripped over her own feet around him, something she hated.

She noticed that Charlie shot mildly irritated glances their way when she greeted Tommy in a very friendly way-it probably freaked him out, his friend and his older brother. She always felt guilty, but it wasn't like they were doing anything, right?

That assurance wasn't really reenforced when the twice-weekly letters from him arrived. She could feel herself blushing occasionally until she caught herself and conducted a mental lecture.

She told herself it wasn't right, that it would make things in the band awkward, that he was really, really old. She tried dating guys her age, hanging out with her friends, and delving deeper into her music.

Nothing worked.

Tommy was still on her mind more often then not, and her friends were all pretty sure she had a crush on Charlie because she avoided talking to him and refused to meet his eyes.

She and the elder Delgado hung around each other every chance they got, to Charlie's half-hidden dismay.

It was finally three years later when she, now eighteen, kissed him. He pulled back quickly and looked into her eyes.

"I tried to fight it, all these years," she whispered. "I couldn't take it any more. I get that you probably don't feel the same way, but..." she left the statement hanging.

He hesitated, then took her hand. At that small gesture, a small smile spread across her face, and the sinking quickened and it finally, FINALLY, felt like all that cliché falling chiz she'd heard about.

Needless to say, it felt way better than that hopeless sinking she'd come to terms with as a teenager.

Plus it helped that Tommy was there to catch her when she fell, which sounded a heck of a lot more glamorous than being rescued from some slimy dirt hole.


	24. Purple Ninjas?

"I know!" exclaimed Wen suddenly. "We should dress up as ninjas for Halloween! Purple ninjas!"

Olivia quickly said, "I think that sounds fun. What do you guys think?"

But, unfortunately none of the others were paying attention. Charlie was staring into space, Stella was polishing her electric guitar, and Mo was studying for Social Studies, but took her eyes off the study guide long enough to look at Wen weirdly and say, "That was disturbingly random."

"So it's a yes?!" Wen asked excitedly, but Mo had her attention back on her study guide.

It was a week until Halloween, and Wen was set on going Trick-or-Treat-ing with the other band members.

When Wen had suggested going Trick-or-Treat-ing, Mo had said it was immature, and Charlie had quickly agreed. Stella had shrugged and replied, "If we can think of something to go as, I won't mind getting weird looks. Plus, it's worth the candy."

That had ended the conversation. Wen had been thinking of ideas ever since, suggesting everything from magical ponies, to Lightning McQueen (from Cars the movie), to the Chipmunks (as in Alvin & the Chipmunks).

But he had been thinking about a new movie that had just come out, featuring ninjas. Wen had thought, _What about being NINJAS?!_ But when he was about to suggest it, he had thought, _NO! NOT PLAIN BLACK NINJAS! _PURPLE_ NINJAS!_

And that's when he had suggested it.

_Well? Were they gonna answer?_ Wen thought frantically. "GUYS!" he yelled. They jumped and glared at him.

"What?!" asked Mo with attitude.

"Will you go with me as purple ninjas? PLEASE?" Wen did his signature puppy dog eyes.

"I'm in. C'mon Mo, it'll be fun!" Charlie coaxed.

"I guess I'm in too, then!" Stella said.

All eyes were on Mo. "But…but…it's so…immature! And what if all these people stare at us?!"

Wen grinned. "That's the fun of it, Mo! And it's not like we'll see anyone we know!"

Mo hesitated. "Okay…" she sighed.

Wen whooped loudly. Olivia said quietly, "My gramma could probably make the costumes. We just need to choose the fabric."

• • •

"Hi-ya! Take that, Master Charlie!" exclaimed Wen.

"…What?!" Charlie asked, confused.

Mo rolled her eyes and said, "Guys!", but she was laughing. It was Halloween night, and they all decided to meet in Pie House, a pizza place. The first house they went to was a little girl's house. She was dressed as Wonder Woman. When she opened the door and saw them she did a double take and gasped. Everywhere they went kids and adults both gave them weird looks. It was the best Halloween they had ever had.

**A/N: Random question: who is Jamie? When you look in the list of characters there's someone named Jamie. Forgive my stupidity if it's obvious.**

**Reviews are magical! They make me a writing ninja!**


	25. A Heckovalotta Romance

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! The whole family went to Seattle, yadda yadda yadda, the whole shebang. Plus I'm working on the first chapter for _Angel of the Broken One_. Wrote this a while ago... cough... Ha ha yeah. That's it.**

* * *

Wen took Olivia's hand and led her to the dance floor. She flushed at all of the glances on their backs; she still wasn't used to the attention, and Wen knew it.

"Just relax," he whispered in her ear as they began their first dance as a married couple. "It's only one dance."

.

Charlie accepted one of the glass goblets from the lady with the tray. Expecting it to be alcohol, he downed the tiny serving, only to choke at the bitter familiar taste, the one and only Mel's Lemonade. He unscrunched his face and took in the sight of his best friend, now whispering in his new wife's ear. Olivia Gifford... Charlie smirked.

.

Ray was sitting awkwardly at a table by himself. He was mostly only invited as courtesy, seeing as the former band still kept in contact with Scott (Ray was honestly surprised people could be that forgiving... especially on the fifth go). He was sick of that syrupy lemonade junk that they seemed to be serving endlessly, plus he had never like cupcakes. They were just a rip off of the original cake. Ray heaved a sigh. Original. Did girls ever strive for that?

.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief as her husband dipped her low and leaned in to kiss her, ending the dance. Although she wasn't too happy about everyone watching them kissing for the second time in one day. They broke apart, and his grin caused one to spring on her own face. As he led her off the dance floor in a gentlemanly manner she knew she'd never been happier.

.

Scott had found a girl. Pretty, sweet, giggled at every word he said. Typical. But Scott had been single for three years and was used to embracing it. The chick he was with tonight... brunette, five-inch heels, shortest dress ever that showed off the longest legs ever, dark black mascara and bengals all up her left wrist. What was her name? He wasn't paying attention the first time, but he was sure he could subtly get it out of her if this round if The Flirting Game continued. Scott calmly asked the girl for a dance; she beamed and they joined the others on the floor.

.

Stella watched Olivia and Wen acting awkward around each other STILL! If she didn't know any better she'd say they were still in high school. And speaking of high school, did she just see... No... It couldn't be...

.

Mo approached her long-term friend, who stood, watching with an expression of gloominess combined with happiness. "Charlie?" he smiled back at her.

"Hey, Mo. What's up."

"Nothing... you just seem pretty sad."

"Mo..." he seemed to think. Mo placed her hand on his arm, telling him to let it out. "Olivia and Wen will live happily ever after. I was Wen's best man, and Tommy's, too, three months ago. I dunno..." he scratched the back of his neck. "It makes me sorta lonely."

Mo rolled her eyes and let go of his arm, catching his hand instead. She began to pull him over to the other couples. "Come on," she insisted. "Have some fun."

.

"Ray. Ray Beech. What, pray tell, are you doing here?" Stella demanded, placing a hand expertly on her hip. Ray looked up, his boredom rapidly converted to interest.

"Well, well, little Estelle Yamada," she snorted at the stupid attempt at mockery. "You seemed to have grown up."

Stella watched as he stood, still taller, but not towering over her like their high school graduation. "You too. You're acting like much less of a man-child," she observed airily, flashing Ray a cold smile.

"'Man-child?'" he feigned hurt. "I am not, nor was I ever, a man-child."

"Um, yeah you were," Stella insisted. "You were so ignorant and self-centered."

"Ignorant? I'm ignorant?" He wasn't even gonna TRY to deny the self-centered comment. "How am I ignorant?"

"Because, Beech, all through senior year you never noticed I had a thing for you." Ignoring his shocked expression, she snatched a cupcake from a nearby serving lady. Only after unwrapping the dessert did she notice her companion's lack of response. "...Ray?"

He was turning red. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" he managed to choke out.

She shrugged. "'Cause you didn't love me back. It's been years, now." she raised the cupcake to her teeth, but not before licking her lips in anticipation.

Just as she was about to taste the chocolatey goodness, something crashed into her, smashing the cupcake.

Stella opened her eyes to find Ray's nose inches from hers, a cupcake creating a solid barrier between their lips.

.

Wen caught sight of the pair smothered in frosting and grinned at Olivia.

"That is definitely going into the wedding scrapbook."

Olivia glanced at him. "You scrapbook?"

"Nope," Wen stated calmly. "You do, now. You're gonna have to scrapbook all of the kids' concerts, recitals, and soccer games, you know that right?"

Olivia laughed and whispered into his ear about children and houses and scrapbooking.

.

"This is a stupid idea," Charlie muttered to Mo as they say in a circle with a bunch of people they didn't know. "Do you think people can get drunk off of lemonade?"

"I didn't think so Charlie," she said solemnly. "But now..." she looked over at Scott and... Tabitha... Tammy... Tess... Whoever and the way they were flirting mercilessly. Sneaking a glance at Charlie's hair, she innocently reached up and tucked a piece behind his ear.

"Here's a cherry!" a girl screeched to her boyfriend somewhere across the circle. Mo and Charlie both looked at her- perhaps it was her high-pitched voice or the strange words she said. But they saw the couple doing the strangest thing.

The guy took a cherry stem between his front teeth and the girl ate it. Charlie blinked. What the...?

"I think this party may be getting kinda... weird," he mumbled into Mo's ear again. "Let's go find Liv and Wenny."

.

Stella pulled back from the almost-kiss and gave Ray a funny look. "Wait a second..."

In response to her unspoken question Ray grabbed a napkin and wiped off her face gently. Then he grabbed her shoulders and kissed her... for real. Her smile he could feel. She could taste cupcakes.

.

Liv and Wenny found themselves wandering aimlessly, accepting congratulations and socializing. They came upon Ray and Stella chatting away. (Mo was going to have a fit when she saw the icing stains on Stella's dress, Olivia thought.) Scott was getting really close to... some girl. What Mr. and Mrs. Gifford never expected was walking in on their two remaining ex-bandmates making out. (Olivia knew Charlie always had a thing for Mo, but Mo liking him back? Well... that was kinda old news as well...)

Olivia smiled. Weddings sure could help move things along in love, although perhaps not always for merely the bride and groom...

She took Wen's hand and pulled him out of the dark corner where Mo and Charlie were (they weren't even aware they'd been interrupted) and returned to the party, a smile dancing across her face.


	26. Worth

Ray leaned forward and stared disbelievingly into Stella's eyes, finally finding it within their sheen that it was true, it was all true.

With a heavy sigh, he slunk back and snatched a black duffle bag in one movement. The weight of the situation dawned on her, and she managed to choke out, "Ray-"

"Don't, Stella," he informed her in the gentlest voice she had ever heard him use. Her heart sank even lower. He had reached the dresser by now, and was emptying out some of his clothing into the bag. "This is what you want, isn't it?" he glanced up at her.

Something burned in the back of Stella's throat, burning her heart, burning away any words she had thought to speak. She tried to shake her head, but he had already turned his back and was gathering photos of the two of them that were scattered on the desk.

After he had gotten as many as he wanted, he took a knee in front of her so he could look into those eyes hidden by the brown hair that fell in waves around her bowed head. "Because, Stella, if you didn't want to be with me, you could've just-asked." his voice cracked on 'asked,' breaking her heart again.

He slowly stood, began walking toward the door to their bedroom. Stella rose and plodded along three steps behind, miserable and unable to make so much as a squeak, for once.

Ray snatched his car keys off of the counter, the jingle-jangling filling the silence. Stella leaned heavily against a wall and watched as he pulled on his green jacket- the one he'd always given her to wear. Finally, he turned to look at her one more time, as if hoping that he could find some way to convince himself it was all a lie. Finally he whispered, "Was it worth it? Was he worth it?" he shook his head at her lack of response. "Goodbye, Stella." and with those words he was gone.

Stella's legs gave out after the door slammed and the echoes of his footsteps faded. She slowly slumped to the floor, shedding a few tears as she went. As she tried to regain her strong self, the more she fell to pieces.

She eventually picked herself up and staggered to their-_her_ room, and collapsed in bed. Almost immediately she felt the absence of Ray's arms around her, Ray's lips on her neck, Ray's breath in her ear as he whispered her name.

And that was when Stella Yamada finally let go of her strong front, clutched at the sheets that smelled of him, and cried.


	27. Charlie's Terrifyingly Random Thoughts

_Look at Mrs. Peter's blouse…_ Charlie thought. Math class…that means zone out time for Charlie. He couldn't help it, it was the most boring subject he had, and it was also his worst. _I should've eaten breakfast. Or at least a bite of a donut. Why did I watch **My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic** all morning?!_ Mrs. Peters droned on and on about…something…then looked at the class and said something that sounded like, "Everyone ready for the test?"

_What?_ Charlie thought. _I wish i had my drumsticks.…HEY! Stick rhymes with pick! Like a guitar pick!_ A guitar pick reminded him of Mo (for some odd reason, even though Mo played bass, and Stella played guitar). Jules, the snobby girl who Scott was dating, passed a sheet of paper to Charlie, snorting, rolling her eyes, and flipping her hair in his face. Charlie stared at the paper for a few minutes. _Hmmm…what is that crazy old Mrs. Peter giving us? A paper doughnut?_ He looked at the title of the paper. _It says its a test to see how much i know. It must be a trick to see if i can get a donut. I'm starved._ He looked at the problem number 1. It was an equation:

2,345,492+(747x43)divided by (584-356)+2132=_.

"If you were paying attention in class," Mrs. Peters said, smiling at the slightly confused expression on Charlie's face, "You should do great."

_I KNOW! If it's a test to see if I get a donut, I must answer a food i love for every equation! Okay…first is…spaghetti. Next…hmmm…cheeseburger._ This went on for some time (85 out of 90 problems) when Charlie could not think of any more foods he liked! _C'mon, think!_ He thought. _I NEED that donut!_

But suddenly he couldn't help thinking of that episode of **My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic** he had watched earlier. It had been Spike's birthday, (Spike was Twilight's baby dragon that could talk) and Spike started getting all greedy, and the more stuff he got, the bigger he grew! Spike grew and grew AND GREW until he was HUGE! If he kept growing, he could die! Spike had a HUGE crush on Rarity, this really pretty unicorn. It was just getting to the part where everything gets fixed up when Charlie's mom had yelled,"CHARLIE! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!" So Charlie didn't know what had happened! It was driving him CAARAAAZY! _My favorite pony is Rainbow Dash, the pegasus,_ Charlie thought. _But then, I like Fluttershy, too. Oh man, if ONLY i had finished that episode! Okay, focus, Charlie, focus. I need that donut. Just think of a few more foods_. After doing 5 more foods, (in 25 minutes), he got up, went to Mrs. Peter's desk, and handed the paper to her. He watched her look over his paper, a huge grin on his face, imagining the chocolate donut with pink sprinkles he was going to select.

**A/N: Tratie-Zutara-and-Perlia-Fan, your request is in the works!**


	28. Missing Moment

**A/N: YES I AM ALIVE! OMG I'M SO SORRY FOR MY ABSENCE! **

**this is for KnivesAndPens13. :) This is set during the movie, sometime after Scott and Mo broke up, and before the Halloween Bash. This is the fiftieth chapter of this story! Yay!**

"Omigosh!" Charlie stopped in his tracks.

"What is it Charlie?" Stella asked, nearly rolling her eyes.

"I left my drumsticks in the music room!" the brunette drummer moaned.

"Well, go get them!" Stella informed him. "Remember we have band practice later!"

"But-"

"Just go!"

"But-"

"Oh God Stella, just stop it!" Mo snapped, finally fed up with the bickering. She rubbed her temples.

"Okay, you know what, just- go with him Mo!" Stella growled.

"Why can't Wen or Olivia-"

Stella motioned to the redhead and blonde with a roll of her head. "Do you really think they want to be disturbed?"

"Yeah-yeah, it probably is best if you come," Charlie added swiftly. Mo glanced at him, then Stella, then sighed heavily.

"Ugh. Fine." As she began to stomp down the stairs to the Underworld, she called over her shoulder, "But my dad won't be very happy about this!" Stella responded to Charlie's glance with a shrug as he followed the Indian girl. They made their way down into the basement, Mo awkwardly humming a song she was practicing on her bass for a recital, Charlie drumming on the walls they passed with his fingers absentmindedly. After going down three or four flights of stairs, they finally reached the basement. They walked past the chess club room, the techno geek room, and the science lab. They were all deserted. The bell had rung ten minutes ago. After what seemed like an awkward eternity with neither talking, Charlie was relieved to see the music room. "Okay, let's see…" Charlie said. "Reznick probably shoved them in a drawer…they don't have my name on them, but I'll probably recognize them…" After a thorough glance around the cluttered room, Charlie motioned towards the tiny closet next to a skeleton wearing a wig. The two friends rummaged around, looking for the sticks, when Charlie began, "Okay, we better go. I don't want your dad to-" "Yeah." Mo cut him off. "Let's just go." She flounced out of the room and began to head down the hall. Charlie sighed and clicked off the light switch after glancing around for any signs of disturbance. He made to follow, but froze as he heard an echo.

"Mo!" he whispered desperately. "Mo!" He quickly ran up behind her. "Mo-

"Ugh, what is it now, Charlie?" she demanded, spinning to face him. Charlie was momentarily stunned. Wow. Those eyes...

He snapped out of it as he heard another footstep. Thinking quickly he shoved her into the teeny school newspaper office, following right behind.

"Charlie-" Mo watched as Charlie crouched down.

"Get DOWN!" Just as Mo ducked under the desk a figure's shadow appeared outside of the window. A sharp clicking noise echoed through the stuffy room, sealing their fate.

Mo and Charlie stood up. Mo tried the door, then began to pace after it refused to open. Charlie just watched with a growing mixture of horror, shame, and admiration. Finally the girl plunked down in the desk chair and put her head in her hands. "PLEASE tell me that did not just happen."

Charlie swallowed hard. "Brenigan must've locked down for the night. We'll get out soon, I'm sure."

Mo took a deep breath. "I forgot to charge my phone. Did you charge yours?"

The instant she said it she knew the answer.

"Phone? My phone? Um, no..."

Mo reached out her arms and found that she could touch both sides of the tiny room at once. "Oh my gosh." She began to push on the walls. "I have to- get out- there's no way-"

"Mo? Are you... panting?" Charlie asked cautiously.

"No I'm not! I'm just... a little... freaked out!" The Indian girl began to yank on the doorknob again, this time as hard as she could. "Come on, come on..."

"Mo..."

"WHAT IS IT CHARLIE?"

"Calm down!" the drummer moved closer to his friend and secret crush and snatched her wrists. She promptly tore away.

"I will not calm down! This is all YOUR fault, YOU'RE messing with MY future, and I DO NOT LIKE being LOCKED IN A CLOSET with A BOY!" Every time she raised her voice, Charlie cringed. It took him a little while (what with the dark) to notice that she was crying.

"Er- are you all right?" he asked awkwardly.

"Do I LOOK all right Charlie?" Mo demanded. He decided not to mention that it was so dark in there he couldn't really see her face. "My boyfriend cheated on me, my baba is pressuring me more than ever, and I'm going to miss turning in my homework!" Charlie sighed. _What do I do?!_ Then his body moved without his realizing it. He tilted Mo's chin up and moved his lips closer and closer to hers. Just as they were about to touch, Mo jerked away. "No, Charlie- just no! I can't do this! I don't like you that way! I can't sneak around anymore! I can't do this to my parents!"

Charlie's arms slowly drifted back to his sides.

"Gah- I need to get out of here." Charlie sighed at Mo's comment and moved forward to try his hand at the knob. "It won't work- I've tried-" She stared in astonishment as the door swung open. "How did you-"

"Guys! What the hell happened?" Stella whisper-screamed. Mo and Charlie exchanged a glance; well, more so Mo tried to exchange a glance with Charlie, who was avoiding her gaze. "We need to get out of here!"

"No! Really?" Mo said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. She made a break for the stairs.

Charlie sighed as he watched her run.

"By the way, Wen had your drumsticks the whole time," Stella interrupted Charlie's internal conflict awkwardly.

Charlie nodded and shot a half smile Stella's way before following her up the stairs after Mo.

**A/N: I****f you like my story Lemonade Facebook Adventures****, there is a poll up on my profile for the ships you want me to include.**

**scohinilover: i'm working on your request right now! :)**

**Sorry for all the author's notes...**


	29. Where they are now

**A/N: This one's for you, scohiniluver!**

_Dear Gran,_

Olivia Gifford stopped clacking away at the keyboard for a second and put her head in her hands. She still felt the loss of her motherly figure often. Finally she raised her head and continued her letter:

_I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written you. I suppose I've sort of avoided thinking about you, because my sweet children remind me so much of me, and naturally that makes me remember how loving you were to me._

Olivia stopped and closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts.

_Yes, Wen and I got married the way you always said we would. We have three kids- Carter, the eldest (thirteen), who has the Gifford hair and my blue eyes, Naomi, the middle one (nine), who has blonde hair cut short (she's a total tomboy), and William (seven), who has these gorgeous golden eyes and a strawberry-blonde mop. Carter adores the trumpet (though he doesn't admit to 'adoring' anything) and is in the eighth grade this year. He plays football on the school team and is loved by all of his teachers. Naomi seems dead set on being like a boy, looking like a boy, acting like a boy, you name it (although she does have her girly moments). She's started fourth grade and is currently taking a dramatic arts class. Wen is skeptical, but I think it's cute. And William (yes, named after Shakespeare) is a little devil. Always getting into trouble and coming home with bruises, I'm slightly worried. But I'm positive he'll outgrow this phase. Well, we can always hope, right?_

_You probably want to hear about the others as well._

_Scott and Mo had one child-Ethan. He's fourteen, has his father's eyes and his mother's... everything else (the hardheaded attitude included). Scott was killed in a car accident when Ethan was only seven. Since then it took three years for Mo to get with Charlie, and they have a four-year-old boy named Aaron Samuel Delgado- cutest thing ever, with the dark brown hair and dreamy brown eyes. I thank God every day that Ethan really likes Charlie- and I'm pretty sure he views Ethan as a son. Ethan has actually chosen to change his last name to Delgado, which is really sweet and brings a smile to my face every time I think of it._

Olivia shot a smile at the photo of Carter and Ethan in their football uniforms, arms around each other. Although Ethan is fourteen, his birthday is in November, so he and Carter are in the same grade. They're the best of friends.

_Stella..._

_She and Ray (I KNOW!) are together. At the moment._

_They have a girl who's Carter's age (thirteen). But they aren't married. Officially._

_Hopefully that's going to change. I mean, one late night Ray called Wen's phone and I answered. He sounded sorta panicked. And then apparently Charlie and Ray were out somewhere with Wen, and Wen muttered something in his sleep about 'carats'._

_Anyway, their daughter is Joanna Camille Beech. She's a spunky girl, full of life, sass, and energy. She can also be a bit... dark, though. And dhe has a flare for dramatics- probably got it from her father._

_I'm not exactly sure what's going on with her, Carter, and Ethan. It seems to me that she and Carter get on fine, but she argues with Ethan endlessly. I always thought it would be Stella's spirit and Mo's stubbornness, but I'm beginning to think he might... like her or something. (Yes, I am aware I sound like a teenage girl. But these kids are a huge part of my life!) And wouldn't it be hilarious if they got together? Not to mention adorable..._

_The band still does gigs sometimes, only when requested though. Ray does Scott's part always, though it makes Mo teary-eyed. And that's when everyone starts to feel awkward about Charlie & Mo's public displays of affection._

_I really wish you were here to meet the kids. You were such a big part of my life. I only wish that I could be as good to them as you were to me._

_With love,_

_Olivia Gifford_

Olivia swiped the tears away and pressed 'print.' Once the piece had finished, she slowly crumpled it into a ball and tossed it reverently in the fireplace, hoping that the words would reach her Gram someow. All was peaceful until...

"Mo-om!" Naomi Gifford raced into the room. "Carter's teasing me!"

"No I am _not_!" the red-haired boy yelled, running in after his sister. When his mother shot him a skeptical look, he quickly added, "Well, maybe I was, but Naomi totally provoked me!"

Olivia sighed, hiding a laugh. "What is this about?"

"Naomi keeps on saying that I like Joanna!"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "So do you?"

"Mo-om!" Carter groaned.

"What? I'm your mother!"

"It's against the guy code-"

Naomi cut in- "You guys have a secret code! Awesome!"

"No, not like a secret code, sweetie," Olivia informed her second-born. "Like, a guy can't date another guy's girl."

"So you mean-"

Carter turned red. "When Ethan comes looking for someone to beat up, you did not hear this from me!" he began to tromp down the stairs.

"Joanna Camille Beech Delgado," Naomi said thoughtfully. "I rather like the idea."

Olivia shook her head. "And I'm assuming that right now..."

"I have to go text Joanna! Bye!"

Olivia rolled her eyes and shot another smile up towards her Gran.

**A/N: And, naturally, the whole 'young love OMG!' idea took over. Oh well. How was it? Anyone want a sequel?**


	30. A Girl Thing

"You know what, Stella? Shut up!" Mo storms away, tears leaking from the sides of her eyes. Charlie makes to go after her but Olivia stops him.

"What?" he asks urgently.

"Maybe you should let her cool down a little," Stella suggests casually.

"Why? I have to make sure she'd okay!"

Stella and Olivia exchange a glance.

"What is it?" Wen asks anxiously.

Stella motions for everyone to sit. When they're all settled, she says slowly, "Have you noticed that Mo gets this way once a month?" Wen turns a bright red, embarrassed. Olivia smiles at him and reaches for his hand. Stella rolls her eyes.

Charlie sits there with a confused expression, until realization dawns on his face. "Oh. My. Gosh. Guys."

"What?" Olivia asks.

"Why didn't you tell me Mo was a werewolf?"

A collective groan rises around him, and an audible slap is heard all around as Stella hits herself in the forehead.


	31. Ring-a-ling Tears

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

Charlie picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Charlie."

"Mo? What's going on?"

"You're a great guy Charlie."

"...what?"

"Never stop laughing, okay?"

"...what?"

"Help Stella through this."

His blood ran cold. She couldn't mean... "Mo... no... you aren't gonna..."

"Bye, Charlie."

He took off at a dead run. Her house was pretty far from his. It was just barely in view when he heard the gunshot.

"Mo!" Without stopping to think, he burst right through the front door. "_Mo_!"

Her body was crumpled, broken on the floor. Blood leaked from her head, the place she had shot herself. Where she got the gun he would never know.

"Mo! Mo! Why would you..."

He scrabbled for her wrist.

No heartbeat.

He found the vein on her neck.

No heartbeat.

Finally he lowered his ear to her chest.

No heartbeat.

He was positive his own heart would beat itself out of his chest.

Why would she do this? How long in the coming? What drove her to this?

She was dead.

_Don't forget to breathe._

She's gone.

Oxygen, oxygen, humans need oxygen...

She would never laugh again.

_Was something wrong with his lungs?_

Was it his fault she did this? Did she cut herself? Were drugs involved?

He

Didn't

Care.

_She was dead..._

She was gone...

He would damn well forget to breathe if he wanted to.

**Long A/N: 121 REVIEWS GUYS! OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D**

**KnivesAndPens13: still trying to figure out an awesome plot for your request... I think it's gonna be really fun to write! :D**

**IMPORTANT: I'm going to try something... Question of the day everyone! Tell me the craziest pairing you can think of! Preferably het, crack!, people who have never met, characters that only had one line in the movie, I don't care! You'll get a shout out in the next chapter, and you can have a reward!**

**We'll see how this goes...**


	32. Kitties

**A/N: for WildCitrusSunflower.**

**And yes, I'm still alive.**

the winner of the awkward pairing contest is HoplesslyRomanti, with Baba/Scott O.o. What do you want?

* * *

Olivia licked her paw to clean her snow white fur. She took a whiff of her $50 cat food & immediately stepped back. Yuck. Gourmet cat food. She slowly walked around the corner, going through her tiny little cat door. She walked out to the garden, which was magical enough to be out of the books her owner, whom she called Gran, had read to her.

She was going into the maze of tangled weeds and honeysuckles when she stopped in her tracks. A couple yards ahead of her, in a clearing, was a beautiful, tall, slim ginger cat, rubbing his head on a tree trunk. She stared. He was gorgeous. He glanced up and Olivia immediately looked away, not wanting the tall, lanky ginger to catch her gawking. She went into the clearing the ginger cat was in, pretending not to notice him, laying down and rubbing her back on a tree trunk, trying her best to look nice.

Olivia glanced at the attractive cat, but to her dismay, he hadn't noticed. Olivia pretended to stretch and meowed loudly, finally catching the attention of the cute cat. He sat and stared at her, and Olivia suddenly felt self-conscious. But he came up to her and meowed softly, "What are you doing here?" Olivia breathed in slowly, thinking of what a good reply would be. "I…live in the mansion back there," she nodded towards her home. "This is Gran's garden."

The ginger nodded. "I'm Wen. I live in that house back on the hill. What's your name?"

Olivia looked at the house on the hill. She had never given much thought to it; it was just the home of a poor farmer with chickens and horses and an annoying rooster that cock-a-doodle-doed at the crack of dawn.

She said, "I'm…Olivia." The ginger, or Wen, took a breath sharply inward, making Olivia feel nervous.

"Olivia!" Gran's voice called.

"Oh, sorry Wen! I have to go!" Olivia apologized.

"It's fine; I'll meet you here at dusk!" Wen called as Olivia turned toward home, picking her way through the crazy honeysuckles. "He wants to see me at dusk!" Olivia's heart almost flew out of her furry chest. There was something about Wen she loved, something peculiar in him that made her feel safe and sound when she was with him. As dusk approached, Olivia grew more and more nervous. What if Wen forgot? How long would she wait for him? Was she late? It was already dark. She hurried through more honeysuckle mess, and finally got to The Clearing. There he was. She smiled and knew he would never forget, and that Wen was the start of a brand new beginning.


	33. Snippets

**Snippets**

* * *

"I'm alone."

"I don't know what you expect me to say."

"Please. Stella, please. I have nothing."

"Alright, Beech. Just this once..."

* * *

"Do you, Olivia White, take this man to be your husband?"

"I do."

"Do you, Wendell Gifford, take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do."

"Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife."

* * *

"You're WHAT?!"

"I'm texting Ray."

"...You're WHAT?!"

"We put the past behind us, Mohini..."

* * *

"Wedding invitation? To where?" Mo asked in a bored tone.

"Scott and some chick... Ever heard of Alyssa Brenigan?"

"Brenigan? He's marrying Brenigan's daughter?" Mo asked incredulously.

"I know right?" Olivia shook her head in disbelief.

* * *

"Remember when the band broke up?"

"Remember when we broke up?"

"..."

"I've never made a greater mistake in my life."

* * *

"What should we name her?" He looks to the baby in his arms, so soft and small and fragile looking. And he feels a keen sense of strength in him. This child is half his.

"Let's call her Nancy."

* * *

"Axel, this is Auntie Stella."

"...Hi. Mo... He looks just like you."

"He has his father's hair, though."

"Yeah. Charlie's insane hair has to be something you're born with... Unless an alien was in his brain or something..."

* * *

She thinks there might be something growing between them.

Then he signs up for the army.

"Bye, Stella."

"Bye Ray."

"Just so you know... You are an amazing friend."

"Shut up, Beech, you'll make me cry."

* * *

"...so how bout some tacos?"

"...I swear you are the master of awkwardness."

* * *

"...and here's Tally on her first birthday... Oh, look at Nancy there! She and Axel were so funny..."

"Um. Right."

"Just wait til you have kids, Stella..."

"Yeah. First I have to find a guy who will tolerate me..."

* * *

"Charlie, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's... it's Tommy..."

"What?"

"He's dead."

"...I am so sorry."

* * *

"Mommy, why can't we go see Aunt Stella?"

Tears fill Olivia's eyes. "She's... she's very sad, honey."

"She'll be happy again soon though, right?" Her little boy asks innocently.

"Yes, Mac. Of course." As soon as she gets out of therapy, she adds privately. "She's just sad because she's alone all the time..."

"Why?"

"...She tried, hon, she really did."

* * *

"Our next baby..."

"Hm?"

"Can we name him Tommy?"

"Of course, Charlie, of course..."

* * *

"You're so grown up..."

"Shh, Mom, it's okay."

"Nancy..."

"Dad. It's okay. I love him."

"All right. I'll walk you down the isle. But that doesn't mean I won't give him the evil eye at the reception..."

* * *

"I wrote you letters..."

"Stella..."

"I'm not in love with you or anything, Beech. But you kept me sane when all I wanted to do was give in."

His voice crackles over the phone. "I'm sorry. I could try to..."

"No. Stay. I know how important it is to you to feel like you're doing good in the world when your father was horrible..."

* * *

"We're grandparents."

"I know, Mo, I know."

"...Charlie, we're grandparents!"

"Think we already established that..."

"I'm a grandma!"

"I'm gonna be a kick-ass grandfather."

* * *

"I'm surprised you're still with me without my hair," he joked.

"You put up with my wrinkles," Olivia shot back.

"Man, we are OLD."

* * *

"One jam, for old time's sake?"

"Why not?"

"Well..."

"Come on, Olivia..."

"Oh... Fine. But only because the great-grand kids are here..."

"Yes! You, kid, get my drum set, will ya? Wen, race you to the stage!"

"You're on. My arms are way faster than your wussy automatic wheelchair..."

* * *

Stella's the last one left.

Age has done her fairly well, she supposes, as she has matured immensely.

As she watches Charlie get buried, she smiles. It was just the two of them for a while, mustering the energy for checkers at the retirement home and waving their fists tiredly at those young whippersnappers. His and Mo's kids visited them occasionally, always greeting her with a smile. And laughing as she teased their father/grandfather about his lack of hair and lack of board game skills.

Somehow she always knew it would end like this, because she's a fighter, always has been a fighter, always will be. She fought out of her depression years ago. She fought the weary feel of age, because she knew Charlie needed someone after Mo crossed to the other side. She held out the longest for everyone.

She smiles because she knows he'll see Mo, see Tommy again, see all of them, that he'll be freed from his weakened and old body and can pass the soccer ball and play his drum set with as much vigor as in the olden days.

The night after the funeral she lies in bed. She lets go of the determination she's always gripped on to.

* * *

There's darkness.

Then there's light, starting as a spark and growing as bright as fire, then the sun, and soon it's so blinding she thinks her eyes might fall out. But the radiance gives way to something she's only dreamed of- her friends.

But she knows it's real because her eyes are open and hell, she's never been a religious person but here's heaven laid out in front of her. It feels like her skin is being shed, all the wrinkles peeled away to her relief. Her fingers and toes seem to tingle, a cool sensation. She imagines how a caterpillar must feel as it turns into a butterfly in its chrysalis, stubby legs giving way to beautiful unfurled wings. There's a buzz shaking her bones, a pleasant humming she can't place.

Then she's solid again. She can move her feet. The constant fatigue has melted like chocolate in a child's hands. Her eyes can move and she looks up.

Talk about a sight for sore eyes... There stands Ray. Olivia and Wen. Scott and Alyssa. Mo and Charlie and behind them, Tommy. She laughs when she sees the cat purring at Olivia's feet.

Ray grins, that cool smirk she hasn't seen in so many years.

"Welcome home."

* * *

**Thank you for reading. I love you guys so much and I really appreciate all the support I've received. I would love it if you would drop me a review, because this is it. I'm not going to write fanfiction for a long time. I have too much drama going on in my life right now and let's just say I'm not happy.**

**I'm sorry, and I _am_ being selfish. I would understand if you were all killing me in your head. :3 Lemonade Drabbles will be marked as complete after I post this chapter.**

**Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story, any of my others, or me as an author. **

**LaVaCiOuS**


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